Comments on: Buses & Trains: Going on a power trip

By: Clif

Clif — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Beth, you inspired me to use my camera to make a short (2 min) narrated video about Chicago's rapid transit rail system so readers can see and compare to their own rides.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:11:00 +0000

Thanks for the very interesting post about pros and cons of transit! You are setting a great example. Here at BART we are working to minimize the "con" areas that you mentioned and to create even more "pros." Regarding noise, new rail grinding equipment should help to reduce the noise. You can find out more about that in this story on our website:
http://www.bart.gov/news/barttv/?&cat=27&id=435
Regarding the flooring material, here's a story with more info behind that:
http://www.bart.gov/news/barttv/?&cat=27&id=269
Our customer service department also notes that our flooring meets the most stringent requirements of any transit agency in North America for areas such as toxicity, VOC emissions and lifecycle sustainability. By the way, if you are interested in giving input on what materials are used in the next generation of BART rail cars, there is a new section of our website at http://www.bart.gov/cars where you can fill out a comment form and learn more about that long-range project. Finally, on the ticket issue, we are encouraging "smart card" technologies as you mentioned, such as the EZ Rider and upcoming Translink cards, to cut down on ticket waste. You might also check out this video about a technology from a recent trial that would allow riders to pay by cellphone — one day it might even save having to have the smart card itself!
http://www.bart.gov/news/barttv/?&cat=27&id=539
Thank you again for taking the time to write about transit. We will continue to update the http://www.bart.gov website whenever we have news or features that might be of interest to those concerned about sustainabilty issues.
Sincerely,
Melissa Jordan
BART/Senior web producer

By: Clif

Clif — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Marc, here in Chicago there are similar routes for the rapid transit that run in the middle of the expressways. The good part about it is that slow-moving or stopped auto traffic can watch as the trains go rushing by and drivers might be influenced to take the train. Other reasons for that routing are it removes the noisy trains from neighborhoods, placing them in an already noisy environment and it makes use of a limited access route that is already in place, avoiding the need to create crossings and viaducts (saving money in construction and ongoing maintenance).

By: Marc

Marc — Sun, 10 May 2009 06:22:00 +0000

BART also abuses its passengers’ ears by placing stations in the middle of 8 lane freeways (e.g., Rockridge, MacArthur, ones in Contra Costa) without any decent shielding. It wouldn’t be so difficult for BART to install some soundwalls so that people on the platform don’t have to be abused by freeway noise, but the agency has other priorities, I guess.

By: Pheas

Pheas — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:04:00 +0000

One thing I’m surprised no one has mentioned is the health risk of spending so much time in an enclosed space with so many other people. I used to use the DC Metro system to commute, but after having bronchitis three times in one year, I switched to a carpool and working from home part-time. I went about 5 years without getting sick once after that switch, so for my immune system, at least, public transit just isn’t clean enough.

By: Maritin

Maritin — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:10:00 +0000

I don't commute daily but when I have city errands I often take the bus at the same time as my kids. I almost always have to stand the whole way.

Things that I love about riding a city bus in the Maghreb - Seeing the old ladies asking teenage boys to give them their seat and being respectfully obliged. Meeting interesting people who want to practice their English on me. Hearing a random sampling of the latest ringtones.

Things that I don't love about riding a city bus in the Maghreb. The occasional mentally ill bus rider (the language barrier makes this situation more difficult). Being squished together with strangers. Missing a paper bus ticket in a pocket when I'm doing laundry.

By: axelle

axelle — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:04:00 +0000

I used public transportation in San Francisco for 12 years. For seven of those years I complained about the lousy bus service because I didn't know that buses ran on a schedule. Once a MUNI representative pointed out this valuable information, I was crazy about pub trans for the next five years until I, uh, bought a car and discovered that drivers of cars and drivers of public transportation are equally crazy, rude, moody, kind and courteous.

What Rosa wrote about feeling like a princess when the bus pulls up is lovely.

Riding on Bart, especially while it's under the bay, hurts my ears something fierce.

By: The Green Cat

The Green Cat — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:32:00 +0000

I live in NYC so I ride the subway daily. I live at the end of a line and the cars are frequently mopped out at my station. I cannot STAND the smell of whatever they use to mop the floors. It stinks of chemicals to me. Some mornings I will be lucky enough to find a car that has not been freshly mopped only to have one of the conscientious workers swab the floor quickly just before the doors close. *sigh*

By: SusanB

SusanB — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Beth — I didn’t link through to the pdf but here are some thoughts about the smell:
“No VOC’s”– the standard commercial definition includes a defined as less than x/y caveat. And there are things that outgas and smell that aren’t volatile organic compounds (VOC’s).
Also a lot descriptions say no outgasing during application, but that doesn’t mean that under extreme conditions the product might not degrade and the degraded product somehow smell.
Most descriptions of polyurea coatings that I’ve seen say “low odor” and include a caveat about don’t apply during high humidity to limit outgassing. Do they say “no outgassing” or just “no VOC’s”
You may be sensitive to the smell.
As others have mentioned, it may be something they used to prep the surface.
And while I don’t know about this product, didn’t look at the pdf, and haven’t worked in the chemical industry for a while, I am skeptical about many claims made about no outgasing from products made by isocynate or diisonycate catalyzation. The product we made, a urethane, supposedly had no outgasing in its inert state and that turned out to be b.s.

By: Billie

Billie — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:23:00 +0000

There is simply no way I would trade my 22 minute commute for a 45 to more than an hour public transit ride.

I happen to live closer to the city and work farther out from the city. This puts me against rush hour (more or less) and actually makes the commute fairly problem free. If I was to work in the city, I imagine that public transit would actually be far more desirable as I live near the metro.